Epidural Steroid Injections

Steroid injections provide diagnostic data and pain relief by delivering local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory steroid medications into the spinal area on the surface of the spinal column. This procedure may reduce inflammation, resulting in long-term pain relief, and provides valuable information on the source of your pain.

You will be awake throughout the test. A radiologist will position a thin needle in your spine, guided by a fluoroscope (x-ray) connected to a television monitor. X-ray contrast material will then be injected and x-rays will be taken. The medications will be injected next, which may create a pressure sensation. The radiologist will want to know how this discomfort compares to your usual pain symptoms.

Due to the effects of certain medications, your driving reflexes may be impaired. You will need someone to drive you home from your exam, so please make the necessary arrangements or request assistance in advance from CDI.

An ESI can be used to relieve the pain of stenosis and irritated nerve roots, as well as to decrease inflammation. Injections can also help reduce swelling from a bulging or herniated disc. The steroid injections are a combination of cortisone (a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid) and a local anesthetic that are given through the back into the epidural space. Epidural steroid injections are not always successful in relieving symptoms of inflammation. They are used only when conservative treatments have failed.